20x42 build in neat future

[TBoss]

Hi everyone,

I've had only a few posts here since joining last summer.  I really enjoy the forum and the way everyone shares their project information.
My wife and I are getting ready to start our project, a 20x42, 1.5 story.  We have been living in the city for nearly 2 years, renting, and recently we were gifted 4 acres in a rural area.  This build will be our permanent home for us and our 2 kids.

I have a few questions and would appreciate any input on anything that looks/sounds amiss.  Lastly, I don't know much about building and have even less experience, so this project will be contracted out.

We have seen several projects on here that we fell in love with and all have been different sizes (20x32, 20x34, and 20x40, etc.)  So we are trying to mix and match a few of those ideas with our own.

I will start by mentioning why we are planning on a 20x42.  Our home will be built on full unfinished basement.  One concern I had was would we be able to put the stairs to the basement, under the stairs to the loft?  Although I have not officially figured this out, it doesn't look like we will be able to.  So we added basement stairs between the bedroom and kitchen.  Sort of a hall area.  On the other side of those stairs in the hall area will be a pantry.  (I'll upload a picture soon).  Anyway, we didn't want to loose space by adding stairs that way so we just lengthened the plans out a little more.

Our loft area will be over the bath, bedroom, and downstairs steps area.  It is approximately 15ft x 20ft.  Then from the kitchen wall (15ft) to the other end of the home (42ft) will be all open (kitchen, dining, and living area).  One of the things we like is how some people use their exposed beams (double 2x12) and stain them a darker color.  It looks like these are spaced at 48" OC and according to our plans, they should be joined to the top plate of the wall studs.  However, I have seen some tie these in to the rafters above the top plate.  I really like the look of this but does this affect the structure/design in any way?  Also, when I think about having 6 double 2x12, spaced at 48" OC in our open cathederal area, it seems like having "6" beams at 48" apart is too much.  Especially at 10ft tall.  Any other thoughts on this?

Lastly, do you think it would help or hurt us to go 12ft wall studs, instead of 10ft as the plans call for?  it would certainly add a little more room in the loft and possible make those 6 beams no seem so low.

Open to suggestions,
Thanks again,
TBoss

[John Raabe]

You can most likely go to 12' on the wall studs (giving more height in the loft) if you will be doing a full length loft. Tall, open ceiling (unsupported) walls are often limited to 10' height.

If you end up doing a truss roof you could do taller sidewalls since there are no outward forces.

[TBoss]

Thank you John,

We have no plans to extend the loft to full length so I guess we'll stay with 10ft stud walls.  I like the use of collar ties in these pictures
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9282.200
but isn't there a certain height you cannot go above the top plate?

Is going 6 or 8ft OC with the ceiling joists a no-no?

Tboss

[UK4X4]

If you use roof trusses- you can have the ceiling cathedral and put faux beams where ever you want !

i intend to put a couple in my "great" room although its not a full two story upstairs post 65 shows the space I have

they would be put in about 9-10 ft above the floor- probably 2x8's but we'll see what i can get in the right length- they won't support anything - just a feature to break up the roof space

being that we have a full two story I had it platform framed with a 6ft side wall- so as not to go too high outside and against the HOA

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=9588.50

[Don_P]

If you use a ridge beam the rafters can hang from that beam without any outward thrust on the walls... if the beam doesn't sag the rafters don't push outward on the walls. In that load path the rafter ties, if any, are decorative.

If you go trusses look at the truss drawings carefully. We had one set on here recently that put significant horizontal deflection in the wall... scissor trusses do have some outward movement that needs to be looked at. I just got the truss design for a 20' flat bottomed typical triangular truss. By tieing directly across the bottoms, there was 0" horizontal deflection... IIRC the scissor had 13/16" horizontal deflection, the designer can work on that.

[JRR]

I would find a simple 20' x 42' house a bit narrow looking.  To each his own in such matters, but you may want to experiment with breaking-up the visual length by installing a break in the middle.  A "dog-trot" design could accomplish this.  If somewhere near the middle, you included an open, or glassed-in, roofed porch... you might like what it gives you.

[Don_P]

we forgot to answer a question, yes you can stack stairs over one another... one above another all the way to the moon.

[TBoss]

Thanks everyone for the reply.

Don_P:  I just wasn't sure if the stairs would be code, in that short of distance/scenario, and still retain the appropriate headroom.

JRR:  I wondered about the length and narrow look but when looking at Dave and Kim's 20x40 it really looks great to me.  Also keep in mind there will be a full covered front porch on one side which should offset some of the narrow look.  From the inside perspective, I measured off 27 feet and 'eyeballed" it and I don't think it will be too bad.  Eventually we will also put a sunporch in the back so all in all I think it should come together nicely.  We'll see ;-)

In talking with our contractor, he said he recommends platform framing under the loft (using 8ft studs), and then using 12ft studs around the cathederal portion of the house.  Then for the loft wall he would cut studs to match the full length of the 12ft studs around the other portion of the house.  THis would also give us the fireblocking around the loft area.  Does anyone see anything wrong with this?  I think he is getting pricing for roof truss as well.  More info as I have it.

Thanks again for all the input and help.
Tboss